I think this is one of my favorite books I've read in a while! I fell in love with Taylor and Helen, and I loved watching their relationship grow into something more. I could really relate to Helen and understand her. Taylor was ADORABLE!!! I fell in love with him and I love how much he cared for Helen. Also, the spicy scenes were so good, I wanted more. I adore Helen and Taylor and I definitely will be thinking about them for a long time. They are just the cutest couple ever!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love Jackie Lau. Her characters are so real (and food is an essential piece that really makes them feel that way!). I love the road to HEA and that it wasn't the typical skip into the future with babies.

This is a very short and sweet holiday rom com novella (about 120-ish pages) that obviously touches on Valentines Day, and less obviously but equally importantly weaves in some Lunar New Year too (both of our MCs are of Asian descent).

I loved this book! A sweet and delicious anti-romcom driven by quirky, lovable characters. This was a light, quick read, just what I needed during these dreary January days. Not your Valentine would make a great Netflix movie and has me looking forward to Valentines Day treats!

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy. Very cute book. Super fast read. While the story unfolds in a bit of a cliche (girl gets fake boyfriend to get family friends off her back after previous relationship disaster) it still comes across as a bit of a different take. And that is probably because the characters are not ⚪️ so there is definitely some discussions about race involved but not in that sadly abused definition of “woke”

If you’re looking for a fast romance read, this is for you. I like how when I was reading this, it felt like the author was telling me her story rather than just reading her story. The narration felt as though I was listening to a person tell it to me (if that makes sense) as if a frequent were talking to me about something.

I really liked this book. Of course, I knew exactly where it was headed but it was so much fun to read about grumpy Helen and her fish named Lucifer. I appreciated that Taylor seemed like a normal nice guy and that he accepted her stiff personality and stubborn ways. It followed the formula for fake dating but it was the way Helen came across and her funny thoughts that made this story such a great read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC

With February 14 quickly approaching, I thought it was a perfect time to read this book! Helen asks Taylor, her long-time friend from high school, to be her fake boyfriend so her family and friends will think she is over her ex. Her ex who broke up with her on Valentine’s Day, in public, and it went viral. I enjoyed Helen discovering her romantic feelings for Taylor, and Taylor seemed like the perfect match for her (read: did not mind that she is grumpy/slightly socially awkward). The writing style just felt stilted to me and kept drawing me out of the story when I would notice something choppy or stiff.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

I really enjoyed this story! I liked Helen; I felt she was such an honest character who wasn't willing to change too much about herself to make other people happy. She had a terrible break-up experience that led her to seek a fake relationship, but other than that, she wasn't willing to become valentines-obssessed, or change her whole life around making other people comfortable in her presence. She knew she had her friends and family and that was enough for her, screw what other people who don't matter think. I also really loved Taylor. I love friends who aren't part of our everyday life who still make the effort to be in your life. Taylor was that for Helen before any romantic feelings came into the mix for him, and I love him for that. I appreciated the honest conversations about racism that exist everywhere. My heart absolutely broke for Taylor and his story, as well as Helen who changed her life plans around someone who was supposed to be a mentor and teacher to her. I wish this story had been longer and developed these themes a bit more. Helen and her PhD program, Taylor and his relationship with his family, the relationship between all of them and their friends. I also would have loved to know a bit more about Taylor's past as an adult other than he's social, has a lot of friends, etc. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and want to check out more from this author!

I am so glad I discovered this author! This was such a great read! Funny and heartwarming in all the right places

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely quick read by Jackie Lau. Why is that every time I read a (romance) novella I always wish for MORE? I definitely want more of Helen and Taylor. They’re so cute together I swear. I don’t really have any problems with this novella only the usual: I wish it wasn’t a novella but a full on novel. Because I fell in love with Helen and Taylor. We only have Helen’s POV and I want Taylor’s POV in all this. He was literally the perfect (fake) boyfriend. They were high school friends and ten years or so later they’re still good friends. They also had to fake date because of Helen and we all know how fake dating ends.

I thought this was a cute story. It was very predictable but I didn’t really mind that. I did feel like things were repeated over and over again and was annoyed by Helen’s character all together. I also felt like the characters come off more as high schoolers rather than 30-year-olds. They just all seemed very juvenile. Overall the story ends nicely leaving me with only one question - why did the breakup in the beginning even go viral? Was it a celebrity/influencer, the filming of the breakup just seemed really random so I wish there was a little more context on the ex.

Firstly, a big thank you to Kobo and Netgalley for accepting me as an ARC reader for Not Your Valentine. This is the first book of Jackie Lau’s I have read and I will definitely be picking up more books of hers in the future.

Although this book is only 120 pages, it packed a really cute, easy, funny (and at times, spicy) story. I find a lot of books I read, I relate to the characters in one way or another, but I haven’t related to a character as much as I did with Helen! I think everyone can relate to her in some way or another - majority of people have sworn off love after heartbreak at one point and have felt insecure and unlovable. Taylor was the perfect match for her and he showed his love not just through the dates, but also how he listened and knew all the small details about her. There was not an unlikable character for me in this book.

I really enjoyed the humour in this book. The inner thoughts of Taylor, her chats to her goldfish Lucifer and her hatred of heart shaped things had me giggling throughout.

With all the humour, also came an emotional backstory of both characters, but more so Taylor. It shed light on a part of racism that isn’t necessarily talked about enough and that made it more of a heartbreaking, emotional backstory for me.

As a story, this was a really sweet read about friends to lovers although it was rather predictable. For a short story, it covered a lot and covered it well. I didn’t want Helen and Taylor’s story to end, so would have liked it to be longer, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless.

Not Your Valentine was a quick, cute read for anyone looking for a light read! It was a very easy read, but a bit predictable. I always love a good fake dating and friends to lovers trope!

But I didn't love the main character, Hannah, and found her POV to be a bit scattered and juvenile at times. Sometimes I forgot I was reading the POV of a twenty-nine year old vs. a teenager. The love story between the couple wasn't that believable as there was very little tension between them before they actually crossed the line to lovers. I loved Taylor, our male lead, who was super sweet and adorable. I was more interested in his backstory with his family and how it's affected his outlook on relationships. He had way more depth than Hannah did.

A good book to read if you are looking for something light!

Thank you NetGalley , Kobo Originals and Jackie Lau for providing me with “ Not Your Valentine” in exchange for an honest review.

I have no idea why there was sooo many words dedicated to the description of public transportation…I felt like there were pages dedicated to the TTC (Toronto transit commission ) it was distracting at first I was assuming this had some type of deeper meaning and maybe a catalyst within the plot but that did not seem to be the case in the end.
With that aside the story was cute and the read was easy and light hearted, a cute valentine centered love story, grumpy/ friends to lovers troop. All in all the read was enjoyable.

After a gruesome video in which her (now) ex said: It's not me, it's you holding me back", Helen is still picking up the pieces a few months later. All the pitying looks are getting on her nerves, so she finds the best solution: asking her long-time friend to be her fake boyfriend. But that doesn't work out as planned, at all.

What I liked:
- the storyline
- Taylor is cute
- Helen's got the best friends ever

What I didn't like:
- I wasn't pulled into the story
- I missed the bigger picture, I felt like a lot of feelings and thoughts were missing
- The story was maybe a bit too smooth, I think the side characters could've played a bigger part in this

I would recommend this book if you like a simple storyline, but I really enjoy the more complicated ones.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kobo for letting me read this.
#NotYourValentine #NetGalley

Wow what a cute & quick rom com! It also had the most perfect amount of spice. I do feel it was almost too short because I wanted more. I’ll definitely be reading more Jackie Lau books after reading this book. Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jackie Lau's Asian-Canadian contemporary romances are perfect little bite-sized potato chip books. She engages with tried and true romance tropes with a little extra something. Not Your Valentine pairs high school buddies Helen and Taylor in a fake dating situation. Last year on Valentine's Day, Helen's boyfriend dumped her publicly. Worse, it was filmed by another restaurant-goer and posted online, and the clip went viral. She's TOTALLY over it, but because she's not dating, her friends and family are worried about her. Easy solution to this problem: get a fake boyfriend.

The romance is short and sweet. It's a sunshine/grump pairing, with chemist Helen as the hearts-and-sprinkles-hating grump and social worker Taylor as the ooey-gooey pining sunshine. The book is entirely from Helen's perspective, and Lau pulls off the "is he into me or isn't he?" tension perfectly. With set pieces around Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day, it's a real romance treat with a little spice.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novella.

This was really sweet...with a delightful bit of spice. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes especially when it's paired with fake dating - just give it to me. Helen, after her epically bad breakup, was so resistant to finding a new relationship. But Taylor was just the right fit - the romance that bloomed between them was delightful. They went on some super fun dates, had great banter, and brought out the best in one another. I adore a book that makes me laugh and can also make me swoon. Also, this made me really want chocolate cake. With lots of festive sprinkles.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kobo Originals for the ARC.

A cute and short romcom novella that will wake up your sweet tooth.

Last year, Helen's very public breakout went viral. This year, she's determined to show the world she's moved on and enlists her friend to be her fake boyfriend. No surprises here, and it's more than a bit formulaic. It is a novella, so it suffers a bit from the shortness in length. I wish it had been longer so the author could have really explored the characters' more.

<i>Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.</i>

This book was so adorable! It exceeded my expectations.. I saw this book on NetGalley and the title and the book cover caught my attention. Please understand although I received this from NetGalley my review is my own.

Let’s get into Helen I loved her as a main character. She is quirky and a little bit grumpy and I love that. She is very down to earth relatable to me in away she’s a little bit of a loner and so am I.
Helen wants to get everyone off her back so she comes up with the idea to pretend to date her high school best friend Taylor, Taylor who is opposite of Helen because his need for approval and constantly reaching out to Helen throughout their fake relationship.
Although the relationship starts off fake it quickly turns into something real something neither of them were expecting. This is my first time reading a book with Asian characters and I love the diversity in Asian MMC. I loved the representation that Jackie Lau’s characters presented.
There is a lot of wholesome goodness in this story and the ending omg I just adored. I loved the detail description around food, buses, travel that I loved it made me feel as if I was there with the family. Most people may not like the details but I loved them.
One of my favorite characters was Helens mom she reminds me of my mom, she was bad ass, supportive and mad sure she was understanding and there for Helen.

I would have loved for this book to be longer I can’t lie, but nonetheless it was an adorable read and was very heartwarming.
Thank you NetGalley, publisher, and author for allowing me the opportunity to read this lovely book.